Years ago-- I'm not sure the word "crowdfunding" had been invented yet-- I saw a rough clip on the web with an actor playing a bearded Jew who is inspired to dance the tango and asks "Am I going meshuggah?" Yes, it's amateurish, the web message said, but we're just presenting the idea and we hope people will help us get the movie made. It's a stupid idea, I thought, and the representation of Jewish culture seems pretty flimsy.
And I forgot all about it till the finished movie popped up on TV all these years later. It's still a stupid idea, unfortunately, and the representation of Jewish culture still seems pretty flimsy. So many filmed stories about strongly Orthodox Jews suffer from the same problem-- they can't include your standard Hollywood interactions between men and women without veering way outside the realm of credibility. Nonetheless, while this movie may not deserve any first, second, or third prize, or honorable mention, it does deserve a special new award for getting a preposterous idea onto the screen against all odds. And even recruiting some respected actors.
And I forgot all about it till the finished movie popped up on TV all these years later. It's still a stupid idea, unfortunately, and the representation of Jewish culture still seems pretty flimsy. So many filmed stories about strongly Orthodox Jews suffer from the same problem-- they can't include your standard Hollywood interactions between men and women without veering way outside the realm of credibility. Nonetheless, while this movie may not deserve any first, second, or third prize, or honorable mention, it does deserve a special new award for getting a preposterous idea onto the screen against all odds. And even recruiting some respected actors.